Chapter 19 Chapter Nineteen
I opened the door as carefully as I could, but the hinges, for the life of me, sounded like a nagging child.
The hallway, however, was empty and it stretched on. There was no, Miridath, no Aquila, and no Asher. Just the stoned floor beneath my feet. Just one issue, Miridath hadn’t told me exactly how to get to…dinner, or was I meant to sit
Well. Not to matter.
I kept telling myself.
It shouldn’t be hard finding my way around this new terrain, right?
The door clicked shut behind me and I began my search. The corridor looked different now that I wasn’t stumbling around like a bumbling fool. Or maybe it’s always been like that, and just like the paintings on the walls, I just hadn’t paid it much attention. The walls were lined with different paintings. Landscape mostly. Mountains shrouded in mist. Forests thick with trees. They were pretty enough that I wanted to keep looking, but morbidly unsettling that a shiver climbed up my back. The one who drew these has to be some kind of art genius to be able to evoke both conflicting emotions in their work.
I continued on my way though. I glanced left, then right.
Both directions looked identical. Same stone walls. Same soft lighting from bulbs that glowed like flames that were mounted at regular intervals.
Which way should I turn?
I pressed my lips together but couldn’t settle on a path in time when my stomach growled so loud it echoed slightly in the empty hallway. Then a sweet savoury scent caught my nose and I turned.
I knew that smell anywhere. It was meat.
Roasted meat, no doubt.
The scent was mouth-watering. The kind of smell that made your stomach clench with sudden, desperate hunger.
“Alright then,” I said to no one in particular. “I guess we’re going this way.”
I turned right on instinct because the smell seemed strongest in this direction.
The corridor wasn’t as long as I’d imagined it, but this place was certainly larger than what I’d thought, because just after maybe twenty feet, the hall branched into three different directions and I was forced to stop moving yet again to figure out which path carried the sweet smell that was calling out to me like a siren.
“Straight ahead would be the right choice.” I decided quickly, and kept walking to only god knew where. My hand instinctively found the wall, more out of habit now. Since waking up, my strength was coming back to me, but as past situations have taught me, I still needed to move carefully unless I wanted to knock over yet another priceless piece of artwork in this place. Or hurt myself again.
Actually, now that I was paying more attention. I lifted up my right hand, the one that got cut on the sharper end of the broken shard, and much to my surprise, it looked totally fine. Not even a single cut on it. Given that it wasn’t even a deep cut, but still, this looks like the skin there had never even been broken.
No man has ever been bold enough to touch me. But that demon?
A warm blush spread through my cheeks when I remembered Miridath’s warning.
“That Demon’s got the silver tongue of the Devil.”
His playful grin flashed in my head again and a part of me. Shameless as she might be found herself wanting of that attention again.
And judging by the way his green eyes glinted with amusement when I yanked my hand back, he knew exactly what he was doing.
Maybe Miridath was right about staying away from that one. Because honestly, a demon as good-looking as Aquila could probably charm me out of more than just my good sense and make it look like it was my idea.
The thought alone should have made me worried, but I couldn’t help but laugh to myself because whenever I thought about him in earnest, he reminded me of a house cat that needed to be disciplined.
Maybe that wasn’t such a bad idea.
That would never happen though. I’ve spent six years in Covenant City’s legal system. That’s six years of dealing with smooth-talking lawyers and political pigs, literally and figuratively.
Aquila might be charismatic and handsome in that too-aware-of-it kind of way, but I wasn’t so naive to fall for a pretty face on the first day.
Even if that pretty face did have the most annoyingly perfect smile I’d ever seen.
“Hang on,” I'd been so caught up in my own thoughts that I hadn’t noticed the corridor had suddenly gotten narrower, and a bit darker. The smell I’d been chasing too was almost gone and I stopped in my tracks. “Damn it. Did I take a wrong turn?”
I spun around the path I’d come, the violet dress swished around my legs as I moved.
“Ah, Crystal, my dear.”
Miridath's familiar voice called to me from ahead as she emerged from the corner I’d just passed and I let out a shaky breath I didn’t even realize I’d been holding. She was carrying what looked like fresh linens folded neatly over one arm, and her expression was slightly amused. I hurried over to where she was, evidently pleased to see her.
“Miridath. I got lost.” I huffed like a small child and her smile widened.
“I can see that. I apologize, I thought Aquila was coming to get you, but the damn demon looked as puzzled as a fish out of water.” she huffed frustratedly. “Please, come with me. It’s a good thing I caught you when I did.” she looked over my shoulder briefly before looking back at me. Out of curiosity, I turned my head around, wondering what she meant.
“Why? Is there something down there?” I asked.
“Oh, nothing dangerous, I assure you. But the Alpha is a private man. I hope you can understand.” she explained.
A dark mysterious corridor that leads to the lair of the dark and mysterious man.